Dawn of New Beginnings
by Thelann
Summary: Jaina Proudmoore still finds herself struggling with the loss of her first and only lover, Arthas. But now there is a new threat. Will Jaina be able to cope with her feelings in order to save Azeroth once again?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Many months after the defeat of The Lich King, one of the greatest threats that Azeroth has ever seen, Lady Jaina Proudmoore, ruler of Theramore Isle, still remained in a depressed state. Secluded on the top floor of her tower, she studies in hopes to forget her prior feelings for Prince Arthas Menethil.

Jaina let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Gazing out the window at the blue-green sea from her high vantage point, she let her mind wander. _Life was simple before… Back during the days when I first studied at Dalaran. Why is it that things couldn't stay that way forever? If only I had been able to talk to Arthas sooner… I could have-_ A gentle cough broke Jaina's train of thoughts.

She looked up to see an elderly man watching her with concern. "Are you feeling well, Jaina?" the man asked, for what seemed like the hundredth time during the past few months. Without waiting for her response he added, "You've been up here alone for hours now."

Trying her best to feign a smile, Jaina nodded. "I'm fine. I'm sorry to always be making you worry, Lann."

"You know I can't help but worry about you, Jaina." Lann quickly scanned the cluttered room. Several old tomes lay opened in front of Jaina, along with scattered pieces of parchment, various spell reagents, trinkets, and a collection of unidentifiable objects. Pushed far in the corner of a table, sat a small loaf of conjured rye. "You haven't eaten, my dear," Lann said, concern remaining prominently etched across his features.

Jaina let out another sigh. "I really meant to eat, I just… I suppose I just got too involved with my studies."

"Yes, that's not an uncommon thing when it comes to us mages." Lann slowly walked toward the loaf of rye precariously settled on the corner of the table. Lazily, he waved his hand over top of it. Within seconds, the loaf dissipated into nothingness. "Conjured food always has a bit of an after taste, anyways."

The talk of the stale rye made Jaina realize how hungry she actually was. _Now I wish I had eaten while I had the chance. Although, it won't be very hard to conjure up something else to eat… Perhaps some strudel and a nice glass of milk…_

"Jaina?" Lann gently asked, again breaking her from her rapid thoughts.

She glanced at him curiously, "Yes?"

"Let's go out," he said with a smile.

"'Out'?" she asked, startled.

Lann chuckled. "Yes, out. You know, as in leaving your hovel to go outside." He gestured out the window towards a small, blue roofed building. "We can get you something to eat at the tavern. It may not be the best, but it's passable. And if we're lucky, the chef might have caught something better than stray dog to put in his 'mystery meat surprise'."

Jaina laughed. Genuinely, sincerely, truly. No matter what the situation, Lann could always lighten the mood. In feigned resignation, Jaina sighed, "All right… I suppose we can go."

Helping Jaina out of her chair, Lann smiled warmly, "Aw, come now. How bad can it be?" Smiling wider, he added, "Actually, don't answer that."

The journey to Theramore's inn was short. One would merely need to walk a short ways along the winding, cobblestoned road in order to reach the inn located behind Theramore tower. As much as she would hate to admit to the older man accompanying her, Jaina did, indeed, find spending time outside of her monotonous study cycle liberating. _But every minute I spend away from my studies, the more time I've wasted. I must become more proficient in my spellweaving, my rituals, my incantations, everything. If I was more powerful, I could have stopped Arthas. I won't fail again with the next threat; I'll be powerful enough to stop whatever it is… I won't allow more lives to be lost from something so easily preventable. Damn! If only I had been stron-_

"Isn't today something truly to behold?" Lann asked, his voice both calm and steady. The question itself was harmless enough, but the all too familiar look of concern he wore moments before in Jaina's study had found its way back upon his countenance.

It was then that Jaina realized that she had unknowingly stopped at the door of Theramore tower. Her fists were clenched, leaving her knuckles white, and she was staring intently at the ground. Slowly, she raised her head and unclenched her hands.

"I need to go back inside."

"No, Jaina, you need a break from your studies. You haven't slept in days, and you've barely eaten. I trust you remember the last time you overworked yourself?"

Jaina did remember the last time she worked for days on end. She had neglected to sleep for several days and had barely eaten, even at the urgings of Lann. Jaina had passed out from exhaustion somewhere between the fifth and ninth day of her strenuous study schedule – she couldn't quite remember – and Lann had carried her unconscious body from the top floor of her tower to Theramore's barracks across the city, quite a feat for an aging gentleman with a noticeable limp. Once there, he then enlisted the help of two priests to nurse Jaina back to proper health. It had been a close call. Who knows how long Jaina would have stayed unconscious in her tower if Lann had not been there to check on her?

"I remember," Jaina responded quietly after several long moments passed.

Lann took one painful step towards Jaina and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you something to eat, shall we?"

The mages traveled the rest of the way to Theramore's inn without incident. The tavern was dimly lit, and a fire roared in the hearth on the wall left of the entrance, leaving the place warm; nearly uncomfortably so. The unmistakable smell of vomit mixed with liquor wafted from the bar area, and several patrons looked as if they were about to add to the stench of the former - even at the relatively early hour of three in the afternoon.

Lann quickly, or at least, as quickly as his limp would allow, led Jaina to the table farthest from both the suffocating fumes of the bar and the scorching heat of the fire. Before Lann could pull out a seat for Jaina, she sat in a chair which faced the wall of the tavern. Lann sat across from her, seated in a chair backed in the corner. Several moments passed in silence until one of the barmaids came to their table.

"Order?" the women asked gruffly.

In spite of the women's impoliteness, Lann smiled his usual warm smile. "Two waters and one bowl of the chef's special, please."

The women glared at Lann. "I'll be right back with your _waters_." Apparently not many patrons decided not to order alcohol at this particular establishment.

"Thank you," another smile from Lann, and the barmaid disappeared behind the doors of the inn's kitchen. Several more moments passed silently at the mages' table.

Jaina finally broke the silence. "I still have no idea why you choose to eat here, Lann."

"Well, the food's warm and filling, sometimes it even tastes good," Lann paused and gestured toward the loud, drunken patrons seated at the bar. "Not to mention, I do enjoy the company," he said, grinning.

"You're joking," Jaina said accusingly.

"Please, Jaina, I'm a mage. I never joke," Lann responded seriously, however, his trademark grin remained plastered to his face.

Jaina smiled, but before she could open her mouth to speak, the barmaid abruptly dropped off two glasses of water and a steaming bowl of stew. Without word, Lann paid the barmaid for the meal and gestured for Jaina to eat.

She pulled the meal closer and looked at the thick, hot substance. It seemed to have been slopped haphazardly into the wooden bowl, and most of the contents covered in the thick broth weren't easily identified. The larger lumps Jaina assumed to be potatoes, the orange lumps carrots, and everything else to be some type of meat. _Oh Gods, please don't let it be dog._ Jaina mustered her courage for the first bite. Surprisingly, the stew was tasty and satisfied the immense hunger that Jaina hadn't realized she felt.

She gazed at Lann. He seemed to be staring across the tavern at the nearby hearth, watching the fire intently. Taking small, regular bites of her stew, she continued to look at him.

The grey, short-haired mage had piercing eyes that matched his greying hair. His nose was slightly bent, probably from an improperly healed break, and he wore his typical dark purple robes. Jaina supposed he could have worn something more elaborate, as powerful mages such as Lann and herself often did, but he still preferred to wear the mundane robes of a common mage. _He's really not all that much older than I… The results of arcane magic are so apparent._

Lann was, in fact, little over a decade older than Jaina Proudmoore. As Jaina had hypothesized, his aged appearance was the result of years of heavy use with the arcane arts. The addictive quality of this particular sect of magic was unmatched. Many mages, both weak and powerful, had fallen prey to the powers of this mysterious art. Many had gone insane, lost in their own lust for power and greater understanding of its mysteries and many more had been killed in the pursuit of that overwhelming power. Lann was incredibly lucky to have survived for this long, with only an over-aged body as the worst symptom.

 _His relative young age is also astounding. To think that he was an instructing mage at Dalaran when I was merely a student! And only fourteen years older… incredible._ While Lann had been an instructor of the arcane arts when Jaina attended Dalaran as a pupil, they had not spent much time together. Since Jaina's affinity had been with the usage of frost magic, she had not gone far past the introductory lessons of arcane, and therefore had not studied under Lann, who had taught higher levels of the subject.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Lann broke Jaina's thoughts yet again.

Jaina looked down at her now empty bowl. _How long have I been sitting here? And how long have I been staring at him?_ Finally, she responded, "It was much better than I expected."

Lann smiled, "See? It wasn't so bad." He drained the last of the water in his streak-tinted glass before continuing, "I suppose you'd like to get back to studying now?"

"Well, there are several tomes I need to study, and I really need to organize my reagents, and-"

Cutting Jaina off, Lann said, "A simple yes would have sufficed."

Embarrassment flooded Jaina's cheeks, "I was merely listing some of the things I needed to finish before the day ends."

Lann smiled at Jaina's obvious embarrassment, and opened his mouth to speak. The sounds of his next words were inaudible over a sudden, ear-shattering roar. Jaina and Lann sprang up immediately, causing their seats to topple on their sides. Quickly, Lann pulled on his goggles and ran outside the dimly lit inn with Jaina close behind.

An enormous shadow had fallen over Theramore since the mages were last outside. Several wooden buildings were on fire, the intense heat dwarfing that of the flames the tavern's hearth produced. Through the thick black smoke from the fires, the mages looked toward the sky. There, covering its expanse, was a giant winged behemoth.

Jaina's throat had suddenly gone dry. She choked on her words, unable to formulate sentences. She managed to break her gaze from the colossal black form long enough to glance at Lann. His horrified face proved that her fears were correct. She was finally able to choke out one word.

"Deathwing."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Deathwing's enormous black form circled around Theramore. The sight was sickening; his tattered, partially metal-encased hide made him look more like an abomination than one of the many mystifying dragons that inhabited Azeroth. He roared again, causing waves of fire to char everything in its path.

Theramore Isle had erupted into chaos. Dozens of yellow and silver garbed soldiers were shouting, desperately throwing buckets of water onto the ever-consuming flames that were quickly spreading from rooftop to rooftop. Few brave citizens had joined the soldiers in an effort to save their homes, bringing buckets in from all sources, filling them with water from the nearby ocean. However, many more citizens were running, terrified, away from the sudden destruction caused by Deathwing. There were several scorched bodies strewn across the ground, looking like ruined children's ragdolls.

"Jaina!" Lann yelled, breaking her from her stupor.

Without further hesitation, Jaina sprung into action. Chanting under her breath, she began casting immediately. In front of her, a liquid form appeared. "Help quell the fires!" she yelled to her newly-summoned water elemental. No other orders were needed; the massive azure being began furiously sending bolts of water onto the closest burning building.

Jaina took a moment to glance around for Lann. Squinting through the noxious black smoke, she spotted his form several yards away. He appeared to be shouting orders at the nearest group of Theramore archers. Immediately following his words, the archers stopped firing arrows at Deathwing's enormous form and began helping the ridiculous mixture of footmen and citizens with the ever-spreading fires. _Of course arrows will do no good against a dragon's hide._

Jaina quickly searched the area. She ran to the nearest officer in sight. Hurriedly, she shouted above yet another roar, "Captain, tell your men to help with the fires! Conserve your strength and firepower for that; leave Deathwing to me!"

"Yes, ma'am!" At once, the officer ran, shouting Lady Proudmoore's orders to all the soldiers within his vicinity.

Suddenly, there was a shrill cry of a woman. Jaina followed the cries through a labyrinth of blinding smoke. She finally arrived at a partially collapsed home, completely aflame. Dark smoke was billowing out steadily, adding to the blinding smoke that was covering Theramore Isle. The fumes made Jaina's eyes water and greatly impeded her breathing. Between coughs, Jaina listened intently for the sound of the cries.

The shouts for help continued, and they seemed to be coming from the burning building in front of Jaina. There was no hesitation as she sent a bolt of frost from her fingertips into the warped wooden door of the building. The blackened wood splintered and shattered from the impact of the powerful magic, and Jaina forced her way through the sizable hole that had appeared in place of the wooden entrance.

Once inside, Jaina crouched below the worst of the smoke collecting in a massive cloud on the ceiling. Moving as fast as her position allowed, Jaina searched for the women. Squinting, she saw a blurry form huddled in the corner.

"I'm here! Come to me!"

The whimpering form crawled along the floor toward Jaina. She could barely make out the soot-covered face of a woman with a motionless mass in her arms.

"Stay close, we must leave immediately," Jaina commanded as she turned back toward the way she came. Suddenly, the roof collapsed at the building's entrance. Fire spread quickly, blocking the way entirely. The intense heat hit Jaina and caused her to back up against the opposite wall of the house. The woman continued to whimper next to her. She and Jaina were trapped.

The fire was consuming the entire building with the women inside. Jaina turned toward the worst of the flames. The intense blaze was covering a wall which looked on the verge of collapse. Finally, Jaina shouted to the woman, "Follow me closely. We must run!"

Jaina Proudmoore stood straight up, and squinted through the thick smoke toward the flame-covered wall. With one hand, she grabbed the still-whimpering woman. She outstretched her other hand facing the flames and a huge cone of frigid ice shot out, which smacked against the raging inferno. The flames died, replaced by a wall of steam. Jaina kept her hand up as an unrelenting amount of cold continued to smash the weakened wall of the house.

And then, she ran. Her intense concentration did not falter even as jagged pieces of wood tugged at her robe, nor did it falter as she drew ever-closer toward the wooden wall of the home. Even when it looked as if she was going to lead the woman right into the side of the building, Jaina remained utterly concentrated on her spell-casting. Just as Jaina was about to run head-first into the wall, she gave one final push with her hand, causing the cone to become even stronger.

The wall flew with such force that it separated from both the floor and ceiling of the building, nearly hitting a soldier at the adjacent house.

"Jump!"

Jaina and the woman landed outside the building in a heap, moments before the home collapsed completely. Several minutes afterward were spent coughing and, finally, Jaina's eyes stopped burning intensely. She looked at the woman, who seemed to be crying while tightly clutching the mass she had taken from the house.

 _Oh Gods, no._ In the woman's arms was a black-faced babe. It lay motionless, covered in soot, in the arms of what Jaina assumed to be its mother. Jaina laid her hand gently on the sobbing woman's shoulder for comfort. "Go to the barracks…" she faltered, "Perhaps… Perhaps there's still time to save your child." The woman managed to stifle her tears long enough to nod numbly and stand. Jaina yearned to further comfort the woman, but she needed to stop the threat to her city. She stood and went in search of Lann.

Although Jaina made frequent stops to help the various citizens of her city in any way she could, it didn't take long for her to find the elderly mage. Bright purple light emanated from his body, causing the smoke around him to glow. He looked years younger than his body portrayed; the finesse at which he casted his spells did wonders to show his interior youthfulness.

"Lann!"

The mage spun around, and took in the image of Jaina's torn robes, ragged blonde hair, and soot-covered face. He walked hurriedly toward this strange picture of Jaina, his limp hardly noticeable due to the adrenaline coursing through his body.

"Jaina, I've been looking for you."

Gesturing behind her, Jaina responded, "I've been trying to save some of my people."

Lann nodded, "I understand, but we must get to Stormwind."

Jaina's eyes opened in surprise. "Stormwind? But my people! They need me; they need both of us. We must fend off Deathwing's attacks!"

"Deathwing's gone. He wrecked havoc on Theramore, but left as quickly as he came." Lann's face grew dark, "I fear this won't be the only attack he makes this day."

Finally, Jaina understood. "You think he's going to attack Stormwind," she stated matter-of-factly.

"If he hasn't already, yes."

"The devastation that he'll cause will be unimaginable!"

Lann nodded gravely, "I must go lend aid. If Deathwing has not already attacked, I will rally Stormwind's troops in preparation. If he has…" Lann cleared his throat before continuing, "If he has, then I will help the people of Stormwind however I can to minimize losses." He limped painfully next to Jaina, his earlier youth all but gone, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Jaina, stay here with your people. I will go to Stormwind alone."

Jaina looked around Theramore Isle for several long moments. The smoke from the fires was already thinning, and she could see the bright rays of the sun shining through the remaining clouds of black. It could not have been long since Deathwing first attacked, and yet, many fires had been stopped, and many more were being managed by Theramore's citizens and military. She could see wounded being led into the nearby barracks, priests giving aid to those with the most immediate need.

Despite the horrific devastation caused by Deathwing, Theramore Isle had responded efficiently. Jaina couldn't help but feel proud of her ever-resilient people. She looked back at Lann.

"I'll go with you; Stormwind will need all the help it can get."

"You're certain?"

Jaina nodded slowly, "Yes, I would not be able to lend much more aid to my people than is already being given. Perhaps we can fend off Deathwing so that Stormwind will not share the same fate as my fair city."

Lann took a few feeble steps forward and closed his eyes. He spent several moments muttering incantations under his breath until an incorporeal rift started to open. The rift began to look more and more tangible until, at last, it was complete.

"Let us hope we aren't too late."

With that, Lann and Jaina walked through the portal to Stormwind, in hopes of reaching the city before Deathwing.

What they saw could not have been farther from their hopes.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you to Katniss46Triss, pegazus16, and Sailor-Makuma for favoriting and following this story. This is my first fanfiction, so please feel free to PM or review in order to give any constructive criticism you may have. I hope to update this story once per week if at all possible. Thank you again for reading, everyone!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lann had opened his portal on a bridge overlooking Stormwind's park district. This specific part of Stormwind city had always been lush, quiet, and happy. Many of Stormwind's wealthier citizens had taken up residence in the peace of the park, and many took occasional walks through the bright scenery which consisted of blooming flowers, vivid green trees, and bustling wildlife.

What Jaina and Lann saw did not resemble the lush park of their memories. In front of the shaken mages sat an enormous crater. There was no wildlife in sight; no flowers, no trees, no animals. The sheer feeling of emptiness that radiated from the massive basin of broken buildings was unsettling. And this time, it was Jaina who was first to regain the ability to speak.

"We were too late; Deathwing has already come and gone. He must have attacked Stormwind, even before he flew to Theramore."

Lann continued to stare at the imploded park district; his goggle-clad face gave away nothing. Jaina looked at Lann worriedly before continuing, her voice soft and, she hoped, comforting, "We must help the people of Stormwind."

Several moments passed before Lann nodded solemnly, "I'll head to the more populated districts and help where I can. Jaina, you should head to the keep; make sure that King Wrynn and Prince Anduin both survived the attacks."

Jaina nodded before quickly turning from Lann and heading toward the keep located on the far side of Stormwind city. As much as Jaina would have liked to help within the various districts of Stormwind, she did see the wisdom of Lann's suggestion. In the face of such horrible devastation, Stormwind needed its ruler. _And yet, I left Theramore._ The thought briefly unsettled Jaina before she pushed it out of her mind and started to run.

As she ran farther from the remains of the park district, she began to hear the all too familiar sounds that had been present after Deathwing attacked Theramore Isle. It was the sound of chaos. Jaina supposed that a fair amount of time had passed since Deathwing's attack, yet the devastation inflicted was still incredibly apparent.

Again, bodies were strewn about and many fires still roared, fueled by the highly flammable wooden buildings of Stormwind. The city's only saving grace were likely its clear-blue canals. Frantic citizens and well-disciplined soldiers were hurriedly filling buckets from the nearby water source, desperately trying to save as much as possible.

Jaina was already spent from the horrendous attack on Theramore, yet somehow she found the strength to again summon her trusty water elemental. She sent her minion to help the nearest citizens before she again started running tirelessly toward Stormwind's keep. She was forced to slow as she began to run out of breath. _Gods, could Lann have summoned the portal farther from the keep?_ She supposed his choice of location was in the hopes of entering Stormwind in a less populated area, but before she could ponder the thought further she realized that Stormwind's keep had finally entered her view.

Jaina did not get the chance to walk into the keep before she heard the fierce yells of a familiar voice. _Varian!_ She turned her head and saw King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind several yards in front of her. He was clad in the traditional blue and silver armor common among Stormwind's guard. However, instead of the plain silver shoulders that most guards wore, King Wrynn was adorned with golden spaulders shaped like one of the various majestic birds found on Azeroth.

King Wrynn was busily issuing orders to his men whilst also helping quell the many fires covering the homes of Stormwind. Jaina hurriedly ran to him. At first, Varian was so engrossed in his efforts to save Stormwind that he did not notice the violet-clad mage running toward him. It was only when Jaina had started pelting the nearest rooftop with bolts of frost that Varian turned and saw his friend Lady Jaina Proudmoore of Theramore.

King Wrynn did not pause from his efforts as he acknowledged Jaina. "Jaina! It was good of you to come. I sent a handful of mages to the other major Alliance cities to warn of Deathwing's attack, but I did not think to send one to Theramore. How were you able to find out about the attack on Stormwind?" Varian paused for a moment and squinted his eyes suspiciously, "You weren't scrying on me again, were you?"

Despite the havoc all around, Jaina reddened at his comment. _This is no time for embarrassment!_ And yet, Jaina's face flushed once again. This time her embarrassment stemmed from the childishness of her being so easily embarrassed. It was a vicious, never-ending cycle.

Finally regaining her composure, Jaina became serious. "Varian… Deathwing attacked Theramore, as well."

"What? If he attacked Theramore and Stormwind City, he likely attacked many more locations! Deathwing could have caused untold devastation all across Azeroth! He could have done more damage than the Lich King and his Scourge!"

Jaina visibly cringed at the mention of her first and only lover. Immediately, Varian regretted his words. "I'm sorry, Jaina…"

After several long moments, Jaina shook her head. Meekly, she responded, "It's all right..." She then changed the subject, "How's Anduin? And how bad are the other districts? I saw the park."

"Anduin's fine. He should be in the Cathedral Square helping the wounded and putting out the fires there. The park was hit the worst, but the Mage Quarter and Dwarven District are largely unharmed, as is Old Town." He broke abruptly to issue an order to a nearby officer before continuing, "Most of my forces are in the Cathedral Square."

"What about the Trade District?"

Varian hesitated, but only for a moment. "It was hit nearly as bad as the park. Most of the buildings have completely collapsed. We're trying to find the survivors, but it's a slow process and the majority that we have found were wounded fatally."

"Then that is where I must go."

* * *

Jaina wasted no time on her journey to Stormwind's Trade District. She could clearly see noxious black smoke rising high beyond the district's perimeter. She was prepared for the worst. She couldn't imagine that the Trade District could be any worse than what she had already witnessed between the utter destruction of Stormwind's park and the attack on Theramore. She was wrong.

What Jaina experienced when she reached the entrance to Stormwind's most densely populated district sickened her. The first thing she noticed was the smell. The smell of burnt- no, the word burnt did not accurately describe what she smelled. It was the smell of flesh charred beyond recognition. It immediately made her nauseated.

The worst part wasn't just the smell. It was the fact that there were no bodies. She squinted through the thick smoke, but she still could not locate them. It was as if the bodies had simply disappeared. It reminded her of Arthas' army, an army of undead ghouls that never left a trail of bodies. The dead had merely stood and joined his ranks. _No… The bodies are there. I know they're buried under the rubble… This is nothing like when Arth- when the Lich King attacked. These people aren't being turned into slaves; they're just… dead._

Jaina's morbid thoughts did little to comfort her and did nothing to quell her rapidly growing nausea. Jaina closed her eyes, desperately trying to block her senses. The smell reminded her so much of rotten flesh; of ghouls, of abominations, of the army that she had so actively fought many months ago. She couldn't push the thoughts from her mind. A sudden feeling of extreme weakness overcame her, and she felt her knees buckle beneath her weight. Without warning, Jaina emptied the contents of her stomach, and the world went black.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read this story. A special thank you to Blame the Priest for reviewing all the chapters thus far. Your reviews were far too kind. It means the world to me to have people read and enjoy what I've written.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

 _It's dark. Incredibly dark. Where am I? Where was I? I was… I was at Theramore, in my tower. After that, something happened… Deathwing! But then, I went to Stormwind. I saw Varian. I went to the Trade District. Then… I- wait! The Trade District! I remember… The bodies… They were there, but they weren't there… All at the same time…_

Jaina's eyes fluttered open. The sudden light was intense and she was forced to close them yet again. Slowly, she took a deep breath. She opened her eyes slightly and allowed for them to adjust before opening them completely. It took several moments before the blurred images surrounding her took focus.

"La- … -nia are … all right?"

The sound seemed to be coming from above Jaina's current position, yet she could not quite make out the words in her confused state.

"Lady Jaina, are you all right?" Again the question was asked, however, the words were now clear.

Jaina's chosen eloquent response of 'Yes, of course. What happened?' came out more akin to a perplexed, "Uh…?"

Suddenly, a hand was close to Jaina's collapsed body, and she grasped at it. She felt a strong pair of arms pull her to her feet and wait until her body seemed able to support itself. Slowly, Jaina's eyes began to follow the arms up to the hauntingly familiar face of their owner. The man's long blonde hair was hanging messily in front of his face, yet it did not cover his charming smile. It was a smile that Jaina knew she would never forget. It was Arthas' smile.

"What's wrong, Jaina?" Arthas' face scrunched up into a look of concern, yet Jaina did not register his question.

Jaina could not think; her next word came out as a barely audible whisper, "…Arthas?"

"Of course, my love," whispered Prince Menethil in response.

Lady Jaina felt the arms supporting her tighten slowly with the love and affection that she had ached for since the fall of her beloved. _No… No… This is impossible. Arthas is dead._ Jaina began to struggle slightly against Arthas' embrace.

"What's wrong, Jaina?" Arthas asked again. "Don't you love me?"

Briefly, Jaina stopped her struggles. "I'll always love you, Arthas."

He kissed her, even before Jaina had uttered the last syllable of his name. It was magical; it was something that Jaina hadn't dared dream of after the appearance of the Lich King and the simultaneous disappearance of her lover. She felt Arthas' arms continually tighten around her slender body.

Suddenly, the blond-haired prince's grip became too tight, and the previously magical kiss against Arthas' soft lips became cold and hard. Frantically, Jaina broke contact and struggled against the muscular arms that were holding her.

"What's wrong, Jaina? Don't you love me?" Again, Arthas asked his question, but the voice no longer belonged to the prince. The tone was loud, gruff, ominous. "Don't you love me?" The voice became ever louder, ever colder.

Jaina felt a hand grab the back of her skull. It forced her to look in the direction of where her lover's face had been mere moments before. However, in place of the blonde-haired prince, was a hideous black mask with piercing ice-blue eyes. The perverted abomination of metal was unmistakable; it was the mask of the Lich King.

Utterly horrified, Jaina screamed and bolted upright. She breathed numerous rapid, heavy breaths of air before realizing that she was back at what was left of Stormwind's usually bustling Trade District. There was no sign of Arthas, and, more importantly, there was no sign of the Lich King.

It took several minutes for Jaina to calm herself. She was about to stand when one of Stormwind's guards bounded quickly around the corner and caught sight of her.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" the guard questioned. "I thought I heard a scream."

"Yes, I'm fine. I apologize. I was just… startled, that's all." Jaina gave the guard what she hoped was a convincing smile, but she could not see beyond his helm-covered face.

The guard stiffened at attention before nodding curtly and hurrying away. He moved with caution around a steep pile of debris before running out of sight.

Once the guard had gone, Jaina relaxed slightly. She put her hands to her head and sighed. _Oh, Gods… Why can't I forget?_ Jaina stayed in that position for several moments before gaining the strength and motivation to stand.

Slowly, Jaina rose. Immediately, she wished she hadn't. She was overcome with exhaustion and stress, and her entire body ached as if she had recently been run over by the Deeprun Tram. She staggered toward the closest pile of rubble and leaned against it. Looking down at her feet, she saw the tattered and stained hem of her violet robes. Jaina then took the time to examine her hands and saw that they were both covered in ash and recently cut from her attempts to help during the aftermath of Deathwing's attack. _I must be quite the sight…_

Although Jaina desperately wanted to help the guards excavating Stormwind's Trade District, she needed to leave the area and breathe in the relatively fresher air of the other districts. She began to amble slowly toward the crumbling exit of the Trade District, stopping briefly to glance hesitantly behind her. _I'm sorry, I want to help… I just can't._

* * *

After Jaina had finally left the Trade District, she reveled in the fresh air. Although the area outside the Trade District still contained an uncomfortable amount of smoke, Jaina still found herself elated to be away from the awful stench of death. Thinking for a moment, Jaina realized that the Cathedral Square likely needed much more help with the wounded and decided to head due north toward that district.

The trip to the Cathedral Square was relatively uneventful, and Jaina only stopped her journey once in order to help several civilians put out a raging fire that had caught hold of a nearby textile shop. Once Jaina had made it to the outskirts of the Square, she instantly heard the unmistakable sounds of steel marching on cobblestone and the cries, moans, whimpers, and general commotion of Stormwind's citizens.

Upon stepping through the gate to Stormwind's Cathedral Square, Jaina saw the sources of the commotion that could be heard out by the nearby canals. She saw guards scrambling back and forth between the cathedral itself and various nearby buildings. Jaina saw that some of these guards, and even many civilians, were busy carrying wounded on anything they could find; some wounded citizens were riding in wheelbarrows, on bits of broken wood, homemade stretchers, and even entire doors recently removed from surrounding homes.

Continuing her inspection of the Square, something caught Jaina's eye that instantly captivated her attention. The source of her interest was a robe-clad individual who moved with a pronounced limp. It was none other than Lann.

Jaina instantly made a move toward the not-so-elderly mage. Lann did not notice her approach; he seemed to be busy helping douse a recently started fire on one of the wooden homes surrounding the inner perimeter of the Cathedral Square.

Once Jaina had finally closed the gap between the two mages, she shouted for him, "Lann!"

Startled, Lann turned and caught eye of Jaina through his green-tinted goggles. "Jaina! I had hoped you'd find your way here eventually. How is King Wrynn?"

"He's fine, helping the various homes around the keep. After I found him I went to the Trade District to help and…" Jaina faltered.

"What's wrong, Jaina?" Lann asked, concerned.

Jaina froze at this question, but not because it was particularly profound or because Lann had asked it in a strange manner, but because it was the exact same question that Arthas, or at least Jaina's hallucination of the Prince, had asked her less than an hour ago.

"Jaina?" Lann asked again.

"I'm fine. Just tired."

Before Lann could further question her, there was a sudden shriek of wood splitting from above. The mages snapped their heads up and saw the source of the noise. One of the beams from a tall wooden building had burned through and collapsed, causing it to fall down on another nearby building.

Before Jaina could react, Lann had already made his move toward the building which was now partially collapsed and starting to catch fire from the dropped beam. Jaina saw him move with the inner youth that she rarely saw from the "elderly" mage, toward the building which Jaina now recognized as Stormwind City's orphanage. Even from her distance, she could hear the cries of children from inside.

Lann had made it inside the building before Jaina even began to run, and several of the children had already started to stream out. Jaina breathed a sigh of relief and slowed. _The damage must have been less grave than we thought._ However, a minute passed without any more of the orphans evacuating the now violently burning building, and many guards were pushing civilians back in hopes to restore order over the new source of chaos.

 _Surely Lann will be out any minute._ Walking quickly, she could now clearly see the smoke starting to billow out the doors and blackened windows of the orphanage, yet still she hoped for Lann to exit the building any moment.

Jaina increased her pace into a panicked run and finally made it to the doors of the orphanage, just in time for the building to collapse.


End file.
